Microsoft rebranding Skype as LYNC

Microsoft famously acquired Skype last year in May for the enormous $8.5 Billion. Since Redmond have killed off Windows Live Messenger in favour of Skype to both simplify the experience for end users and to focus development efforts on one product.

It seems Microsoft weren’t content with the rationalisation of services and have now remarkably decided to kill off the Skype naming and instead use the LYNC branding. Sure it’s one less character, but the bizarre move does throw away the internationally recognised label.

While the two services attempt to achieve the same goal of Instant Messaging, Voice, Video calls and screen sharing, there are two very different contexts. LYNC is a very successful part of Microsoft’s enterprise business and targets business-to-business communication. Skype has traditionally focused on more personal use but the two are set to become one.

There’s no word yet on the final product feature set of the product merger. Rick Osterloh is the VP of Product Management & Design at Microsoft-Skype and says “We think there’s enormous benefits in combining two of our biggest brands into one. The unified platform will bring synergy in the communication between people regardless of the context. From work to home, LYNC with link people together and will allow users to run a single client on their desktop with a single contact list.”